Sharing a Landscape: The Construction of Sense of Place on the Maine Coast

Motivated by interest and concern over the changing coastline in Maine, this study uses the concept of sense of place to develop an understanding of how a range of users share the resource, and to explore how place meanings are associated with their social experiences and perceptions. The site for this study was the Stonington region archipelago, an area that has not yet experienced the same amount of development as seen on the southern Maine coast, yet one that has witnessed a boom in recreational use and an influx of people from other areas. Using a mixed methodology, two groups of research questions were developed with the purpose of developing an understanding of how place meanings are constructed over time in a changing landscape, and how managers and community interests can benefit from this information. A visitor survey was completed to investigate the connection between landscape characteristics, socio-demographic, and travel characteristics, previous experience, and attachment to place. During the summer of 2006, 435 visitors to 23 islands participated in the two-part survey, which included an on-site interview and a mail-back questionnaire. Twenty-three in-depth interviews were conducted with long-term visitors, transplants (people who have moved to the region) and locals to explore sense of place over time, and the connection between place meanings and user compatibility. Results from the visitor survey indicated that regardless of level of attachment, study participants were most attracted to the physical landscape and least to the local culture of the area. Differences in place attachment based on travel and socio-demographic characteristics were often linked to local experience. Findings from the interviews also suggested the physical environment was an important draw, and continues to be an important component of why participants, including locals with ancestral roots, stay in or visit the region over time. Participants in each groups also felt drawn to the community, and compatibility issues on the water were affected by experiences in the surrounding communities. This highlights the need for recreation researchers to cast a wide enough net to understand how dynamics in surrounding communities might influence social experiences within recreation areas

A systematized spatial review of global protected area soundscape research

Protected areas (PA) represent the primary mechanism to protect global ecosystems; yet current capacities often lead to geographic imbalances for PA management around the world. PA soundscapes have proved a valuable element to inform effective management, as natural sounds are important for healthy natural systems and rewarding visitor experiences. This article employed a systematized literature review of PA soundscape research, matching the areas of study described for the 218 articles, with PA from the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). The studies took place in 372 PA, which were cataloged by geographic location and size where possible, country, and continent. Data charting included extracted keywords, research objectives, methods, outcomes and future research needs. Numeric and geographic analysis focused on understanding the nature, extent, and distribution of the studies, while thematic analysis was applied to identify trends with respect to methods, outcomes, and future research. Study results identified content and geographic imbalances between studies in tropical and temperate zones, terrestrial and marine environments, and the Global South and North. Discussion considers how global initiatives may support information and resource sharing that facilitates knowledge and capacity transfer between the two regions

Influence and interpretation of intrinsic and extrinsic exercise motives

This study explores the relationships between, and perceptions of, various exercise motivations and exercise adherence. The application of self-determination theory to exercise motivations research has demonstrated the importance of intrinsic motivations, however, the influence of extrinsic motivations has not been thoroughly examined. This study placed exercise motive perceptions along the Organismic Integration Theory’s (OIT) spectrum of motivations, and identified associations between those interpretations and exercise adherence. Participants (812 college students) completed an online survey detailing their exercise motivations and participation. The Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 (EMI-2) was used to measure exercise motivations, and participants provided open-ended explanations for their ratings of each motivational sub-construct. Total exercise scores were calculated by assigning MET values to exercise bouts using the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses revealed stress management, enjoyment, competition, and weight management as predictors of exercise, and appearance as a negative predictor for females. Analysis of the open-ended motive explanations found participants held diverse perspectives on the health, appearance, weight management, and fitness motivations. The varying interpretations of health and appearance motives ranged across the OIT. Based on motivation theory, they may be conducive to the process of internalization, meaning they may develop into more intrinsic motivations as participants achieve goals and develop a sense of value for the exercise activities. Additional patterns were identified that require further research, including a gap between genders with respect to exercise enjoyment, and the difference between weight management and appearance as predictors of exercise adherence

Date: SHARING A LANDSCAPE: THE CONSTRUCTION OF SENSE OF PLACE ON THE MAINE COAST

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Soundscapes and protected area conservation: Are noises in nature making people complacent?

This study explores how existing connections to natural places may affect PA visitors’ experiences and perceptions within the PA. Specifically, outside-the-PA soundscape perceptions are examined to better understand how their experiences outside the PA may affect perceptions of PA soundscapes and visitors’ ability to effectively contribute to conservation monitoring. Survey research (n=389) of recent urban visitors to the Chilean Coyhaique National Reserve (CNR) in Patagonia unpacked perceptions of the acoustic environments within the places where participants felt most connected to nature, including landscape features, favorite and prevalent sounds, and acceptability of particular anthrophonic sounds. Favorite and prevalent sounds were open-coded, and anthrophonic sounds were rated for prevalence and acceptability. The mountain landscape features and sounds (‘wind’, ‘running water’,‘ birds’) participants described as prominent within the places where they felt most connected to nature aligned well with CNR characteristics. Participants who ‘sometimes’‘/often’ heard certain anthropogenic sounds (vehicles, aircraft, machines, city sounds), within the places where they felt most connected to nature, rated those sounds as more acceptable than participants who reported ‘never’ hearing them, raising concerns about complacency toward anthrophony in natural settings. Continued research efforts are warranted to better understand visitors’ frames of reference, their influence on the reliability of social norm data for PA soundscape monitoring, and their influence on PA managers’ ability to protect conservation values